Soc Trang is a province with the characteristics of many ethnic groups, creating a multi – culture. Explore Soc Trang, visitors will come across many unique pagodas, attractive eco -tourism areas that visitors should not ignore.
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Where should you visit Soc Trang?
Come to Soc Trang tourism if you do not know where to go, do not forget to refer to the super nice Soc Trang tourist destinations below and enjoy your trip:
La Han Pagoda
La Han Pagoda is a beautiful sightseeing destination that tourists should not miss when explore Soc Trang. This Chinese pagoda has an ancient and majestic beauty like a massive castle on the land of the Mekong Delta river, where indigenous people often come to make pilgrimages and pray for peace, luck, and fortune. Not only that, La Han Pagoda also has an extremely special highlight in the way the walls are designed.
Most of the walls surrounding the pagoda are not made of wood, concrete and the traditional yellow paint, but were built from stone, creating an impression of solidity and grandeur. In recent years, La Han Pagoda has become increasingly famous, attracting many young tourists from near and far to visit and take photos because of the impressive scenery of this place.
The pagoda is located at 131 Dien Bien Phu Street, Cau Den Hamlet, Ward 8, Soc Trang City. This is one of the pagodas in Soc Trang that possesses extremely unique architecture with spacious space and green grounds, very suitable for people to visit and make pilgrimages on full moon occasions and major holidays.
Kh’Leang Pagoda
Kh’Leang Pagoda is one of the ancient Khmer pagodas in the Mekong Delta region with a history of nearly 500 hundred years. Kh’Leang Pagoda bears the mark of very sophisticated and sharp Khmer architecture, but still blends Vietnamese and Chinese styles in its decoration.
Kh’Leang Pagoda is located on Ton Duc Thang Street, Group 5, Ward 6, Soc Trang City in a large campus, shaded by ancient trees, most of which are palm trees, a tree species associated with life, culture of the Khmer ethnic people. Coming here, visitors can enjoy fresh air, learn about ancient Khmer documents, legends about the origin of Soc Trang and admire the unique architecture of the pagoda.
The name of Kh’Leang Pagoda is associated with the legend of the place Soc Trang. According to bibliographies, the pagoda was built in 1533, at first it was just a thatched pagoda, but after many restorations, it was built with bricks and tiles. The current pagoda architecture such as the main hall and Sala were newly built in 1918.
Khleang Pagoda’s architectural complex arranged harmoniously on high ground. An equally unique point is that most of these works in Kh’leang Pagoda are built in the traditional stilt house style of the ancient Khmer people of the South. Each work was sculpted, carved with patterns, exquisite motifs reflect ancient Khmer architecture, create an unique of look that attract a lot of people come to visit and admire.
With symmetrical and harmonious architectural lines, associated with unique and diverse works of art, the main hall of Kh’Leang Pagoda is truly a work of special artistic value. In 1990, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism ranked it as a national historical and cultural relic, belonging to the type of architectural and artistic relic. This is an interesting tourist destination that you should not miss when coming to explore Soc Trang.
Nga Nam Floating Market
Nga Nam floating market in Nga Nam town, about 60 km from Soc Trang city, is a place that attracts tourists to visit and experience Western river life.
The name Nga Nam appeared when the French dug the canal around Phung Hiep route. This canal and Xang canal cross Xeo Chinh canal to form five river branches flowing to 5 intersections: Ca Mau, Vinh Quoi, Long My, Thanh Tri, Phung Hiep.
Nga Nam floating market usually opens quite early and lasts until 8 o’clock, then gradually dissipates. The busiest time is usually from 5am to 6am with the scene of hundreds of boats gathering, making a bustling noise all over the river wharf. This is the most ideal time to experience the floating market.
The goods of Nga Nam floating market are very rich and diverse, from famous delicious rice from large rice granaries in the area to garden vegetables and fruits; from agricultural products and seafood to daily living and household items, etc. To help transmit information easily between sellers and buyers, pole tree (cây bẹo) is an effective means of advertising in the floating market. This tool is usually made from old bamboo, bent straight, about 4-5 m long, with sharp corners for easy insertion and pliers when parked. The top is perforated to allow a rope to be skewered through to hang goods. Buyers just need to stand from afar, look at the pole trees to observe and find the type of goods they want to buy.
Currently, due to the increasingly improved road transportation system, some traders have switched to the form of onshore market groups. However, the floating market still operates quite bustlingly, still retaining the typical soul of the Mekong floating market, a tourist destination not to be missed in Soc Trang.
Bat Pagoda
the main hall
Bat pagoda is located on Van Ngoc Chinh street in Ward 3, Soc Trang city. The pagoda has typical motifs in Khmer architecture with many small towers on the pagoda’s roof, and the gable end is carved with a delicately winding Naga snake. The entire roof of the pagoda is a great architectural work expressing the concept and philosophy of Buddha and Heaven of the Khmer people.
At Bat Pagoda, there are also scriptures inscribed on palm tree leaves, artifacts, history books, etc., which are extremely rare and have unique cultural values of the people of the Southwest that need to be preserved. The most interesting thing for visitors when coming to the pagoda is to admire the sight of thousands of bats hanging like fruits on branches and leaves. At peak times, the pagoda attracts more than a thousand bats.
The bats at the pagoda are mainly rare large flying fox, weighing 1 – 1.5 kg and with a wingspan of up to 1.5 m. They are fruit bats and live in lush fruit gardens, but they never eat fruit in pagoda, but often fly far away to find food.
Therefore, when dusk falls, the scene at the pagoda is strangely bustling, with the noisy sound of bats flapping their wings, calling to search for food at night.
Bat Pagoda is the first pagoda to be ranked as a National Monument and Scenic Landscape in Soc Trang. This is both a center for educational activities and for organizing traditional religious festivals.
Khmer Museum
Khmer Museum, like many museums elsewhere, is a popular tourist destination here. The museum displays 730 valuable artifacts, including many donated by local people, many of them reflecting the life and culture of the Khmer people over many generations. This is a place specifically for tourists who want to learn about the beauty of culture, history, and patriotic traditions of fighting against foreign invaders of the Kinh; Khmer; and Chinese through the ages. In addition, the Museum is also a place to visit, learn and study history for students inside and outside the province.
When entering the Museum gate, visitors can see artifacts and weapons of our people and soldiers during the war such as: V100 armored vehicles, M48 tanks, and 122 mm long barrel guns.
– The ground floor is designed to introduce: Overview of Soc Trang province; natural resources, history of land formation and ancient culture; peoples; population and lifestyle including agricultural artifacts, means of transportation, and house architecture of 03 ethnic groups; daily life clothes from everyday to funerals and weddings; religious beliefs. – Floor 01 is designed to introduce: history of fighting against French colonialism and American imperialism through periods; Soc Trang Party Committee formed and led the resistance; period of innovation towards industrialization and modernization.
In addition, inside the Museum there are stage models of Ro Hash and Du Ke to attract visitors to learn about the theater art of the Southern Khmer people. The image of the miniature Ngo boat also evokes more curiosity for tourists about the Ooc om Boc Festival and the Ngo Boat Race held annually in Soc Trang. There are quite a few new collection artifacts on display at the Museum that are highly appreciated by many visitors.
Address: 53 Ton Duc Thang, Ward 6, Soc Trang City. .
Tan Long stork garden
Tan Long stork garden is located in Nga Nam town, about 60km from Soc Trang city center. This place is not simply a bird sanctuary but is also known as a stork conservation area thanks to its extremely favorable natural conditions for them to grow and develop.
Currently, in addition to individual storks, the stork garden also has several hundred individuals of moldy herons, this is a rare bird species with a large size, weighing over 3kg and outstanding gray plumage.
When visitors come here to visit, they will learn about storks with their very affectionate and faithful living habits. They live in pairs, incubating eggs and raising young.
Chen Kieu Pagoda
Located in the Southern Khmer pagoda system in Soc Trang, Chen Kieu Pagoda, known as Sa Lon Pagoda, is known as one of the pagodas with a “unique” architectural style that leaves a deep impression in the hearts of visitors. The outstanding feature of this pagoda is the walls. It is not evenly cemented, tiled or painted like other pagodas but covered with pieces of cups, plates, and ceramics that look very unique but extremely beautiful and aesthetically pleasing.
In 1815, Chen Kieu Pagoda began to be built with materials like leaves, wood, soil… like many other Khmer pagodas. During the war, under the devastation of bombs and bullets, the main hall of the pagoda was seriously damaged. In 1969, the pagoda was rebuilt according to today’s architecture, including: main hall, sala (type of meeting room), stupa, place for prayer books,…
During the construction process, due to lack of materials, the monks came up with the idea to donate cups and plates from the villagers to cover the wall. This idea not only saves construction costs but also creates impressive decorative motifs. Since then, the pagoda has also been known by the people with its second name: “Chen Kieu Pagoda”. Khmer artisans cleverly took advantage of these cups and plates to decorate the walls and towers, creating a harmonious and impressive architectural work.
For tourists who love to explore or check-in with ancient architectural works, this is an ideal place. Every corner of the pagoda can become an artistic background for thousands of likes, guaranteed to surprise many people when posted.
Chen Kieu Pagoda is located in Dai Tam commune, My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province.
My Phuoc Islet
Address: My Phuoc hamlet, Nhon My commune, Ke Sach district. My Phuoc Islet is also known as Cong Dien Islet or Mud Islet. Since ancient times, this place has been famous as a fertile alluvial land with lush, green trees and fruits throughout the four seasons of the year. Surrounded by rivers typical of the West, the landscape of this island is also very poetic and charming. And more than that, the people of the Southwest region are always generous, gentle and hospitable, which is also the reason why many tourists love this land.
My Phuoc Island has quickly become a famous green tourist destination in Soc Trang province, attracting a large number of domestic and foreign tourists to visit, experience and relax.
Coming here, visitors walk on the year-round roads lined with coconut trees and see with their own eyes the attractive fruit trees. And experience eating rambutan, mangosteen, durian, mango or longan, tangerine,… right in the fruit-filled garden, enjoying the sweet flavor of the fruits.
Besides, when checking in to My Phuoc island, visitors can also participate in garden-style entertainment activities such as casting nets, setting sails to catch fish, canoeing to collect cork, picking vegetables from the garden, and hiking. How do you know if a goby fish is a good one or a calendar fish? There are also many other exciting games such as fishing, river bathing, mud bathing, monkey bridge,…
Equally interesting is that this green tourist area also organizes groups to teach how to make folk cakes such as pork skin cake, it cake, tet cake, coconut cake…
Som Rong Pagoda
Botum Vong Sa Som Rong Pagoda, also known to locals as Som Rong Pagoda, is located at 367 Ton Duc Thang, Ward 5, Soc Trang City. The pagoda is decorated in Khmer style combined with modern architecture to create a highlight for the pagoda. Against the clear blue sky, the presence of the temple with its yellow tones looks majestic and splendid.
The temple grounds are divided into many different areas, the most prominent being the main tower. Wat Pătum Wongsa Som Rong Pagoda becomes more poetic in the late afternoon. Coming here at this time, visitors not only worship the temple and pray for peace but can also take impressive and unique photos.
What to eat and buy during your trip explore Soc Trang?
Soc Trang is a place where the Kinh – Chinese – Khmer ethnic groups have lived and interacted for many centuries, which has given Soc Trang its unique characteristics in culinary culture. Anyone who has traveled to Soc Trang once will certainly not forget the aftertaste of these rustic but hard-to-find dishes. We would like to introduce to visitors delicious dishes and Soc Trang specialties that you must try.
Bun nuoc leo (Noodle soups)
Noodle soup is a famous dish in Soc Trang thanks to the combination of ingredients that makes the flavor unlike any other region. People call Soc Trang noodle soup a solidarity dish, because the dish is a combination of the quintessence of the Kinh – Khmer – Chinese ethnic groups, shown in each ingredient of the dish as a characteristic of the three ethnic groups.
In the bowl of noodle soup, people see the flavors of Khmer fish sauce (traditionally prahok fish sauce), Chinese roasted pork and noodles, fish, vegetables of the Kinh…. Each individual dish is a specialty, and is combined together harmoniously and delicately by Soc Trang people to create an extremely unique noodle soup dish. Currently, in the city area. In Soc Trang, many roads and streets have many shops selling noodle soup. There are some shops that sell from morning until night, to please diners who want to enjoy this unique noodle dish. Not only that, this noodle dish is also included in the menu by restaurants for customers to choose from.
Addresses of some delicious restaurants:
- Ca Dong Restaurant – 655 National Highway 1A, Hamlet 3, Ward 2, Soc Trang
- Long Nhan Restaurant – Vo Dinh Sam street, Soc Trang
Cong cake
Coming to Soc Trang without enjoying Cong cake is truly a shortcoming for the trip. If you want to eat Cong cake properly, you must eat it at the market area in Dai Tam commune (My Xuyen) and eat it with available vegetables of the region, dipped in sweet and sour fish sauce prepared with your own secret to feel it. all the essence of the cake. Cong cake is crispy and moderately spongy, has a very fragrant smell, and has a bright yellow color.
- Dai Tam Restaurant – 28 Dai Chi hamlet, Dai Tam commune, My Xuyen, Soc Trang
- Soc Trang Cong cake – 158 Tan Tho hamlet, Soc Trang
- Banh Tre – No. 101 Phu Loi Street, Soc Trang
Pia cake
The cake has a characteristic durian smell, each thin layer of cake covers the sweet, flexible green bean filling. When you put a piece of pia cake in your mouth, you immediately feel the unique flavor of durian filling, the fatty taste of salted eggs combined with green beans, all blending together to slowly melt in your mouth. On the outside are thin layers of skin stacked on top of each other and can be peeled off piece by piece, so it is also called skin cake. A delicious cake is a cake with a soft crust. With a round, flat, small shape wrapped in yellow and red colors, symbolizing luck, fullness, and prosperity, at the end of the trip to explore Soc Trang, visitors from far away often choose Pia cake as a gift. In addition to durian flavor, the cake also has many flavors such as taro, lotus seeds… and many different fillings.
Mi Sua (sua noodles)
Sua noodles is a traditional dish of the Chinese community in Soc Trang. It makes with the main ingredient being soybeans, so the noodles are golden in color and usually larger than other types of noodles. There are two types of noodles: salty and non-salty. Each type is processed into different dishes such as salty noodles (best when stir-fried), and sweet noodles are used to make sweet soup. When eating fried-sua-noodles, you will feel the chewy, crunchy taste of the noodles mixed with the fatty, sweet taste of the meat. A bowl of stir-fried noodles is often eaten with a bowl of broth to reduce the feeling of boredom. The broth can be stewed with pork trotters along with the aroma of coriander leaves, green onions, fried onions, ground pepper… making the eater feel sweeter and more refreshed with each spoonful. Sua noodles are not salty, they are often cooked with boiled eggs and have a very sweet taste, used in parties and birthday celebrations. With the meaning, the red color from egg yolk is a wish for a more lucky and fulfilling life.
Sua noodles are sold at restaurants in Soc Trang city such as:
- Thuy noodle shop – 11 Cach Mang Thang Tam, Ward 1, Soc Trang
- Tinh Chau noodle shop – 26 Phu Loi, Ward 2, Soc Trang
Sour soup with catfish
For a long time, dishes made from catfish – one of the specialty fish species of the Hau River, have created a very unique culinary flavor at restaurants and eateries in Soc Trang.
Catfish meat is white and fragrant, delicious, not fishy, and healthy so it can be processed into many delicious dishes. In particular, catfish cooked in sour soup is a delicious, refreshing, nutritious dish that is popular with many people, especially on hot days.
To get fresh, live catfish, you can go to restaurants in Dai Ngai or Dung islet and Tran De districts to enjoy the most delicious food.
Source: collected by An
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